Bailey’s Estes Park Excitement (7 page)

Bailey stepped out of the car at the Elkfest in her favorite jeans with flowers embroidered down the sides of each leg and sequins in the centers of each flower. Her long-sleeved red, rhinestoned T-shirt had thumbholes at the end of each cuff. Large white sunglasses and shiny pink lip gloss completed her Hollywood outfit. Kate, unaffected by Bailey's pleas that she dress like an agent, wore green plaid pants and a Hawaiian print shirt.

Bailey felt the same excitement when she looked around at the Elkfest as she did her first time at the circus. The sweet aroma of hot Indian fry bread mingled with corn dogs and cotton candy. Elk roamed freely among the crowd, eating the food people dropped. Live country-western music filled the air and a festive mood settled over the town.

“When's the bugling contest?” Bailey asked, looking for movie stars.

Mr. Chang looked at a schedule he'd picked up. “At one o'clock.”

Bailey looked at her watch. “It's only eleven thirty now.”

“Maybe we should get some lunch, then head over that way so we get good seats,” Mr. Chang suggested.

“Hey, there are the Perkinses!” Mrs. Chang said. She waved to the family.

“Hi, Dory,” Mrs. Perkins said to Mrs. Chang. “What do you think of the Elkfest?”

“It's terrific! We're interested in the bugling contest, but we see it isn't until one o'clock,” Mr. Chang told them.

“Yeah, they always have it in the afternoon,” Mr. Perkins said. “My dad is in the competition again this year.” He motioned to Justin and Joe's grandpa. “He won it a couple years ago.”

“No kidding!” Mr. Chang said.

“Now we'll have someone to cheer for.” Bailey wished she could turn a flip like Alex could. She would have done one on the spot.

“We'll see if I'm worth cheering for in a couple hours, won't we?” Grandpa Perkins winked at Bailey. “I appreciate your enthusiasm and support.”

Bailey turned to Justin and Joe. “You must be excited to see your grandpa in the contest, huh?”

“Sure,” Joe said. “He'll win, I just know it.” He smiled at his grandpa, and Bailey thought it was the happiest she'd ever seen Joe. Justin shrugged and kicked a rock in the dirt.

“We were just getting ready to eat a bite of lunch,” Mrs. Chang said. “Would you like to join us?”

“We can't eat until after Grandpa's contest is over,” Justin glowered at the Changs. “He can't bugle on a full stomach.”

“Oh, I see,” Mrs. Chang said, hesitation marking her words as she looked uncertainly at Justin.

“Actually, we had a late breakfast so we could eat lunch later after Dad's big performance.” Mr. Perkins's face seemed a bit redder than usual. “But thanks anyway.”

“Good luck on the contest!” Bailey said as the families parted. “We'll be rooting for you!”

“Thanks!” Grandpa Perkins replied. “I'll need all the help I can get!”

The Changs found a hot dog stand and ordered five hot dogs and drinks. The aroma had tempted Bailey since they arrived. She loaded her dog with ketchup, mustard, and relish.

While they ate, they watched Native American dancers perform. Bailey was enthralled by the unusual dance style—the silent tap, tap, tapping of their moccasin-clad feet and the leaning and swaying of their bodies. They moved to the beat of a tom-tom drum, its leather top being struck hard, then soft, to make different rhythms and sounds.

A medium-skinned man with a long ponytail of black hair streaked with gray sang in his Native American language. The young dancers especially impressed Bailey. Some of them looked much younger than her. She clapped hard when their performance ended.

“Trina and I are going to run to the restroom before going to the bugling contest,” Mrs. Chang told the girls. “Do you want to come?”

“I'm okay,” Bailey said.

“Me, too,” Kate agreed.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Mr. Chang added. “You girls stay right here until we get back.”

Kate grabbed Bailey's arm when the family left. “Look!”

The Perkins family was down the street, and Justin and Joe appeared to be telling their parents something. Then the boys ran toward one of the hills surrounding the town.

“Looks like they're going to do some hill climbing.” Bailey frowned. “I wonder if they picked up their ‘walking stick' from the area they hiked yesterday.”

“You mean gun?” Kate snorted. “Those guys are either avid hikers or they are up to something. What time is it?”

Bailey checked her watch. “Twelve fifteen.”

“Their hike will have to be short, or they'll miss their grandpa's bugling performance.”

“And Joe seemed excited about seeing it.” Bailey remembered Joe's unexpected smile. “I don't think he'd want to miss it.”

“Justin, however, is another matter.” Kate pushed her glasses up. She dug in her pocket and pulled out her camera-pen. Holding it horizontally, she twisted the pointed end to zoom in as close as possible. Justin and Joe's image got larger on the metal clip. She quickly clicked the end. Bailey joined in with her camera-watch.

“Between the two of us, we should have some good shots to share with the Camp Club Girls.” Kate returned her pen to her pocket.

“Are we ready?” Mr. Chang said when the family met up again.

“Ready!” the girls shouted in unison.

“Let's go cheer Grandpa Perkins on!”

The Changs sat in the grass near the front and sipped on their sodas. A magician entertained the crowd gathering for the bugling contest.

“I need a volunteer,” the magician said. “Who will help me?”

Bailey's hand was up like a rocket.

“You, there, in the red sparkly shirt.” The magician pointed to Bailey.

“He's pointing at you, Bailey!” Kate pushed her friend to her feet. “If there are talent scouts out there, they'll all see you on stage. It could be your big break!”

Bailey ran up to the stage, her family applauding her all the way.

The magician asked Bailey her name and age. Then he looked confused. “Hmm. That's unusual,” he said. “What?” Bailey asked.

“You seem to have something on the back of your shirt.”

“I do?” Bailey twisted to see.

The magician reached behind her and pulled out a bouquet of flowers. “Oh, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't spoil the surprise you were hiding for your mother.”

Bailey squealed and clapped.

The magician handed the flowers to Mrs. Chang. “Let's hear it for my lovely assistant, Bailey! Thank you for your help, miss.”

Bailey curtsied grandly and took her seat. “Do you think anyone famous saw me?” she asked Kate.

“If they were here, they totally saw you,” she replied.

Soon, the contest began. A panel of judges sat in front of the stage and took notes on each contestant's bugling ability. Bailey scanned the crowd a short time later and spotted the Perkins family, including Justin and Joe, sitting on the other side of the bugling area.

“I guess they made it back in time,” Bailey whispered to Kate. She nodded in the boys' direction.

“Guess so,” Kate said. “And Justin actually looks almost happy.”

“Amazing!” Bailey joked.

Grandpa Perkins's name was announced, and he went to the microphone. “I've been in this bugling contest five years running and only won once, two years ago. But this is the first time I've ever had two cheering sections.” He waved his arm toward his family and then the Changs. They all yelled their loudest. Grandpa gave them an informal salute then cleared his throat and got down to business. He let out two low, resonant tones that quickly rose to a high-pitched squeal, followed by three deep grunts. He sounded just like one of the elk!

The crowd went wild. Even the elk in the park stopped and looked. Grandpa bowed before waving and taking his seat on the stage with the other contestants.

Bailey clapped wildly. “Grandpa Perkins was fantastic!”

Kate nodded. “I bet he wins the grand prize.”

The bugling contest continued, but after about the fifth person, Bailey thought she felt a slight tremor. She looked at Kate, who looked back at her, questions in her eyes. The shaking increased and soon people were on their feet running and yelling, “Stampede!”

Elk ran through the crowd on their long, knobby legs, more elk than Bailey had ever seen at one time before. Dust flew and parents snatched small children to safety. When the rumbling and shaking ended, Bailey noticed some people lying on the ground injured.

“The Perkinses! Where are they?” Bailey wondered aloud. As much as she didn't like Justin and Joe, she didn't want any of them to get hurt. The dust cleared and she caught sight of them. “There they are! By the stage.”

Mr. Perkins was helping a shaken Grandpa Perkins off the stage. “They look like they're okay,” Kate said. “We're lucky we weren't hurt.”

Bailey listened to conversations around her.

“What do you think caused the elk to run through town this time?”

“I bet it was the bugling contest. Probably drew them right in.”

“They've never done that before.”

“Had some mighty good buglers this year.”

“They're probably nervous with all these people around.”

“They're trying to protect their young.”

“Protect their young? They were born in May, five months ago.”

“I think they're aggressive because it's mating season.”

“Could be. Peak mating is September and October.”

“But they've never been this aggressive in mating season before. Something got them stirred up.”

“Seems like they show up only to charge lately. They don't roam around as freely as they once did.”

“True enough. And they seem to come out more in the evenings than they used to.”

“Where did they come from?”

“From that hill,” one said, pointing to where Bailey and Kate had seen Justin and Joe hiking.

“That's the opposite direction from when they came out of the woods last time.”

Bailey looked at Kate as they took in all the talk. “What do you think, Kate?”

“I don't know,” she said thoughtfully. “I think we need to talk to the other girls. Seems when we work together, things come together faster.”

“Two heads—or six—are better than one!” Bailey agreed.

As the people gathered, leaders announced that the bugling contest would resume in an hour and the winner would be declared shortly after that. The Changs walked over to where the Perkins family stood.

“Everyone all right here?” Mr. Chang asked.

“Yes, a bit shaken, but not injured,” Mr. Perkins answered. “Your family okay?”

“We're fine, too,” Mr. Chang replied.

“Mr. Perkins,” Bailey said to Grandpa, “you were awesome!”

“Yeah, you sounded like a real elk!” Kate agreed.

“I bet you're going to win.” Bailey grinned as if she'd just won a prize herself.

“Of course he'll win,” Justin said, surprising Bailey. “No
tourist
should win the local contest.”

“Well, now, I wouldn't say that,” Grandpa said, patting his grandson's back. “The best bugler should win, wherever he's from.”

“A tourist doesn't know the elk bugle as well as the locals,” Justin maintained. “They should just give up and go home.”

Bailey almost laughed until she saw how serious Justin was. No hint of a smile crossed his face, no look of pride in his grandpa. Just the usual anger. Was it her imagination or was that jab at tourists targeted at her and her family?

“Come on, Bailey,” Kate said, hooking her arm through her friend's. “I'm so sure Grandpa Perkins is going to win, we may as well go see some more of the Elkfest.”

Bailey glanced at her mother. “Is it okay, Mom?”

“Sure, go have fun,” Mrs. Chang replied.

When Bailey and Kate returned from the Elkfest that evening, they made a conference call to the other Camp Club Girls. Leaving Trina to watch TV in the hotel room, the two friends sat on an overstuffed couch in the lobby. Biscuit, on his leash, sat quietly between them. After all the girls were on the line, Bailey explained the children of the night mystery. Kate supplemented the story with technical details.

“You were right about the hidden switch, Alex,” Bailey told her. “Kate found it under the hallway carpet.”

“But what we hadn't counted on,” Kate added, “was that it was on a timer, so it didn't go off immediately when stepped on.”

“Wow! You guys are awesome!” Alex exclaimed. Bailey imagined her doing a backflip with her typical cheerleader enthusiasm. “Scooby Doo would be proud. Next thing you know they'll be asking you to be on their show!”

McKenzie giggled. “Now
that
I'd like to see! Bailey and Kate as cartoon characters!”

“Anything to report on the elk research, Syd?” Bailey asked.